Just a short post tonight in preparation for the Transition Towns meeting tomorrow.

Below is the Agenda for Tomorrow. The main focus will be the October 24th event.

Meeting is at 6PM. Please come in the side door. There will either be a sign at the door or someone to welcome you in.

We will be showing the locally produced and focused film “Island on the Edge”.  It starts at 7PM

AGENDA:

#1: Introductions of/to any newcomers

#2: Striking a Committee for Constitution towards official TT status

#3: Speaking with students at NIC on Local Food and TTPA.

#4: Other Business (not Oct. 24 event)

#5: Date/Time of Next Meeting

#6: October 24 event.

——————–

Film “Island on the Edge” Starts at 7PM.

There is usually time for discussion of the film afterwards.

….

Collins Farm Tour, Sept. 23rd 2009
Our farm tour and meeting for the TTPA Food Group with Mike Lewis, was a success and well attended. Julie Clarke brought some more teachers as guests for the event, those being Sarah Williams, Stephanie Hopkins and Erin Watkins. The teachers were a great addition to our day!

Besides Bob and Ann Collins, we were later joined by farmers Vicki Lee, Bill Thomson “Farmer Bill,” and Bob Haynes. Generously helping with the meal preparation for our event, was agricultural apprentice Tuula Rebhahn from Eugene, Oregon. Tuula is working and learning at the Collins Farm. Ann and Bob Collins brought us together with some introductory remarks, then led us on the circuit of the grounds. Our tour took us first to the stables, where we could view the beautiful horses and the cute donkeys. Next stop was the pig pen, and below that the vegetable rows and greenhouse. The greenhouse was full of vine tomatoes, and in the garden row outside, were leafy vegetables, many ripening tomatoes, a pumpkin patch and stand of corn.

Beyond that along the fence line was a pretty row of well-laden apple trees. Past the apple trees is the meadow where the horses and donkey grazed, once released from our inspection. {;- 0

The farm dogs and our youngest tourist, who was entranced by the chickens and turkeys, kept us amused with their playing. Our tour led us into a calm and mellow grove of old-growth trees, with two First Nations mask faces high on the trunks. After that we wound along the river bank, but just before we disappeared into the trail, a hawk appeared to circle above us and case out our party. Wonder what he made of us?

Finally we came back up the hill past some most comfortable and well-appointed cabins for visitors to the farm, and some campers with tents and RVs, and fishing poles! The set-up for these people gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “happy campers.”

After a tasty and substantial dinner, Mike called the meeting to order and introduced the three neighbouring farmers as part of a panel. Mike began by talking about the farming situation in the Alberni Valley, the needs of farmers and their support from the community. I’m afraid some of the details will have to wait on Mike’s report or Edna who was taking notes. First up afterwards were the farmers. Bill Thomson spoke about the importance of consumer demand, to enable local farmers to grow crops and raise animals in larger volumes, and achieve better economies of scale.

Bob Haynes explained his experience from years in marketing and farming. He observed that what is important is to find a niche were a larger amount of product can be sold. He also noted that once a contract is made, supply must be consistent, including available backup. Vickie Lee praised the Farmer’s Market which happens Saturday mornings at Harbour Quay. Vickie has been taking her produce there for decades, and finds a growing customer base. Jen Fisher-Bradley contributed her quip that organic products and home gardens are becoming more trendy. Let’s hope so, it’s something we all need.

Bill Thomson and Julie Clarke discussed the nutritional needs of the students at school, and Bill noted the change in the district from about a 60% involvement in agriculture to maybe 1%. This is true in much of Canada of course. We were once a rural country.

Members agreed that a trend is and must be, to return to rural and local farming roots, as transport and massive agri-business downsides factor in more in the near future. This is sometimes called the ‘Slow Food’ movement.

Colin mentioned that matter of the Canada Food Inspection Agency, but Bob Haynes assured us the farmers are well apprised of how to deal with the government. My other notion, of a small marketing board or ombudsman for the Valley didn’t go over in a big way with the farmers, however. { ;- ^

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml

Vicke Lee mentioned that Corky Evans will be returning to speak on farm issues and advocacy, in the Coombs area later this year. Maia Lewis told us about a Kamloops farm marketing association, which could serve as an example for the Alberni Valley.

Remarks by Ann and Bob Collins, and the three other farmers that local products should be valued enough, priced and distributed well enough to enable new generations of farmers to stay in the business, were well received by all.

Bill Thomson pointed out that Vancouver Island has only a two or three day supply of food, should the ferries and trucks stop rolling for any reason. That is the elephant in the room, a fact we might take more seriously. And could be the subject of our film choice, for the upcoming evening at Abbeyfield, something Gary Swann would also like to see. Well, OK that’s as much as rattles off the top of my flat head. For a better description we may have to wait for Mike Lewis. Or Edna. Or somebody.

Thanks to all who came out, you made our day.

Colin Frazer

We also waived some local fruits and veggies, and lots of Kale, for the cameras.

Here we are!

You can see more pictures here!

And you can see pictures from the other 2000 events around the world here.

The next general meeting of Transition Towns Port Alberni is this Wednesday at 7:30PM at Dan Schubarts place, 5010 Bush St. (up Kitsuksis, over tracks, first left).

Here is the Agenda as I’ve drawn them up.

I unfortunately will have to miss this one due to a scheduling conflict with my day, and now evenings on Wednesdays, job! So I hope you all have fun without me and I expect a full report! :+)

Agenda

#1: Welcome All new Members (Dan)

#2: When and Where are the Next Meetings? (Dan)

(anything but Wed is good for Chris )

#3: Report / Discussion on Food Group happenings (Mike Lewis)

#6: Other Group updates/activity? (Energy – Myron , Awareness/Education – Mike-Dan-Julie)

#4: September 21 Avaaz.org Climate Change event (John Mayba)

#5: Feedback on Movie night and Next Movie Night (what movie, at Abbeyfield?) (Dan)

#6: Need to start talking about formal “Constitution” for Transition Towns in preparation for obtaining Official TT status.

#7: Other Business! (Can there be MORE? :+) )

It obviously went great!  There were about 35-40 people there, there were only a couple empty chairs at the start of the movie.  The End of Suburbia can be shocking (including some intentionally shocking language by James Howard Kunstler) and a few people said it did shock them.

It spurred a great discussion afterward. There was mention of when it was produced (2004) and how many of things forseen in the movie as being harbingers of peak oil came true. Skyrocketing oil and gas prices, laying blame everywhere but in the right places, outages and supply disruption, and recession.

There was lots of discussion throughout the night about how Transition Towns can, or will, be different from any other volunteer group. There is always the trap groups can fall into of having lots of energy at the start and then never actually accomplishing anything.

“How do you know when you’re successful?”, someone asked. And really. There is and isn’t a concrete answer for that. Really, as far as what Transition Towns is about, it’s about realising that the problems we face require holistic, inclusive solutions. That means breaking down traditional barriers that might exist between current groups. And reconnecting with our neighbours in ways modern society has sometimes taken away from us. So when will there be success? I think it’s when we start seeing that cooperation, and start seeing working groups taking on projects and initiatives. It’s just as much about the process as it is about the end result.

And by that measure, we already have success. We have a steering group that already includes a cross section of people from a number of existing groups as well as the City. We have a Food Group getting revved up for big things (See below), and an Awareness Raising group that has published its’ first article in the AVTimes and put on a very successful movie night!

If you’d like to see more examples of what a successful Transition Towns will look like in the future, head over to Transition Town Totnes and look at all the projects on the go. (21 in all) And this, from a City of 8000!

Towards the end of the meeting Colin asked for some of the new people to name some specific things they’d like to see from Transition Towns. Here’s what I jotted down, and what we’ll be exploring further.

- Give TTPA Presentations about TTPA, Peak Oil, Climate Change, Sustainability, Food and other topics in senior Valley schools
- Have a Party and Celebration (TT Totnes called it an Unleashing) of Accomplisments to celebrate what is already happening in town, and what is to come.
- Hosting Coffee House type gatherings to present TTPA
- Make a Film of TTPA groups active in Community… made by ADSS students
- Study more extensive use of Grey Water
- Explore Bike and Human Transport in the City more closely and possibly promote ideas as they have with magazines in Vancouver. To that end, Pat Deaking sent a link to the Transportation Demand Management for Medium and Small communities website where they have a toolkit document communities can use to get ideas about building sustainable transport in their town or city.

And finally, there was lots of talk at the movie night (and in the movie itself) about farming and local food production. Gary and Jaques Swann were there and Gary mentioned that the Alberni Valley has an incredible 6000 hectares of land that could be farmed. That is an incredible resource that really could feed the entire Valley.

To that end, there is an important meeting for anyone interested in food and farming in the Alberni Valley. The TTPA Food Working Group will be meeting at Mike Lewis’ farm in Beaver Creek on September 2 at 7:00PM. Anyone with an interest in local farming and food security is welcome! Please RSVP Mike at ccelewis@xplornet.com and he will send out agendas to everyone.

So there are two meetings coming up:
Food Working Group, Everyone Welcome, at Mikes place, Sept 3, 7PM RSVP Mike Lewis at ccelewis@xplornet.com
(9777B Somers Road end of Beaver Creek)

and

Regular TTPA Meeting, Everyone Welcome, Sept 16, 7:30PM at Dan Schubarts
(5010 Bush St off Kitsuksis).

See the Calendar for maps.

We will be having a short meeting meant really just to say hello to new people that come along and answer any questions they have about Transition Towns.

Please don’t feel that you need to know anything about, or even agree with, the gist of our little (but growing!) group, or the movie.  The night is intended to provide information, foster some discussion and debate and ideas, and generally have a good time.

There will be popcorn, and some light beverages.  The room has A/C in case it is hot.  Donations will be welcomed to cover the cost of the room ($50) and the snacks.

Doors are open at 6PM, meeting starts at 6:30PM, Movie at 7PM… Room 204, North Island College (Center block/main entrance, right up the stairs or elevator).

And if you’re wondering what the movie is really about… here’s a great cartoon I stumbled on today which sums it up pretty nicely.

#1:  Submitting our application to the Transition Town Network so we can access their resources.

#2:  Setting up our first public Open Space brainstorming and group forming type event.  This was something that came out of our last meeting.  We’ll need to figure out a good time and place.

That’s it!  A light meeting for a summer evening.  Snacks, tea and coffee will be provided of course.

Hope we can see you all there!

Sorry for getting this out late… summer is supposed to be less busy right?

Here’s the Agenda…  Meeting Starts promptly at 7:30PM, light snacks and refreshments provided.

…………………

1. 7:30-7:45PM – Meet new folks.
2. 7:45 – 7:55PM – Go through last meetings minutes – attached
3. 7:55-8:00PM – Tonights Agenda… Additions?
4. 8:00-8:30PM – Questions and Answers about Transition Towns
   • Answer questions anyone has about TT
   • Check out Website on Data Projector/Computer!
   • Resources for more information (book suggestions, websites, etc)
5. 8:30-9:00PM – Reports from Working Groups.
   - see organization chart from last meeting.
   - commitments on action items.
   - next group meetings.
6. 9:00-9:30PM – Constituting TTPA officially?
   • Submit formal application
     - Work through TT Response Form – attached
     
   • Strategic Document
     - See Victoria Example — attached
7. 9:30PM Additional Items / Next Meeting / Wrap Up

Here’s the Digital version of what I managed to scribble on the flipchart at the meeting.

I will try to elaborate as much as I can for the benefit of those who were not there, if I miss something ortotally bork on my memory of something please do leave a correction in the comments.

——————–

New Members:  Bonnie and Julie … both SD70 teachers.  WELCOME!

Present at the Meeting:  Bonnie, Julie, Pat, Edna, Guy, Don, John, Dan, Colin, Myron, Mike and Chris.

We introduced the concepts of Transition Towns to Bonnie and Julie.  There was also discussion of the new book by Jeff Rubin called “How your world is about to get much smaller”.

John Asked about going through the diagram that I had sent to the mailing lists explaining how the Subgroups work to form the “whole” of the TT.  Unfortuately, we got on to a completely different topic and I totally forgot.  So I’ll post the diagram here, it is just an example, nothing is actually setup right now.  But it does hopefully give an idea of how the Sub Groups form to create the Transition Town ‘council’ or Steering Group, and how they are really the foundation of the TT Movement by forming relationships based on the different topics and needs, with existing groups and stakeholders in the community.

With that, we got into the meat of the meeting.

Mike Lewis suggested that perhaps the best way to figure out what Sub Groups should form would be to just go around the room and talk about our Interests and see what comes of that.

Mike Started:

He focused on the awareness raising and educational aspects.  Getting the word out, so to speak, about the dual challenges of Climate Change and Peak Oil as well as what Transition Towns was.

Lectures, Seminars, Open Space events, Movie nights.  Reaching out to Community is the key to the TT movement.

There was suggestion to try writing a weekly article for submission to the local paper that would address key issues more deeply.  Dan offered to take that on with the support of Mike and all of us for content.   There was also the suggestion to invite the media (newsprint) to participate in the Sub Group directly so that they were a key part and had a direct input into how to get the message out best as well as providing a direct output.

And finally we had a great discussion about how to involve schools and kids and how not only are they already extremely concerned about these issues, they are a wonderful, natural conduit to their parents.   This will of course be a big focal point.

…….

Next up was John and a Food Group

We talked about Local Food Production.  Particularly how Community Supported Agriculture is starting to take off as a way to revitalize local farming and connect producers directly with consumers.  There are a number of examples popping up on the Island and a ton of interest from lots of people.

Creston and the Comox Valley were pointed out as places embracing and actively involved in rebuilding their agricultural capacity.

The notion of a Food Guide was brought by Pat who says it is something local farmers are looking to get off the ground in the form of an insert in the Pennyworth.  This meshed well with Guys pet project that he has been working on to get an online Food Guide going of all the local producer/distributors in town.

—-

Next up was Myron who suggested an Energy Working Group.

Discussion centered around conservation, building practices, and alternative energy.  Myron suggested the book “The Geography of Hope”.  Networking with the City to encourage Energy Audits of existing homes and identify grants and local financing so that people can afford to make renovations.  Also identify interested local businesses to develop skills and services.  Alternative Energy discussed, Solar Heating, Solar PV, Deep Earth Geothermal, Earth and/or Lake based Heat Pumps and wind.

Don, if you’re reading this, could you send me the link to the “Show Home” you mentioned?

……

That was all that we could get to as far as the minutes were concerned.  It doesn’t look like much (why do Minutes always do that?) but it was a wonderful discussion.
At the end it was suggested that the Sub Groups should meet before the next meeting of the main meeting.

We roughly identified who wanted to be on each group.  There is of course some duplication, nor is it exclusive, it’s just those who put up their hand except for John who had to leave early and was named leader of the Food group.  FYI John!

Awareness / Education Group: Mike (Leader), Colin, Bonnie, Pat, Dan, and Julie

Food Group: John (Leader), Edna, Julie, Don, Mike, Pat

Energy Group: Myron (Leader), Chris, Guy, Bonnie, Don, Colin

—- I will email the Leaders of the group directly with the individual emails of the people in the subgroups so that meetings can be set up.

The next General meeting, everyone welcome including new folks of course, is June 24, 2009

You may have noticed when you signed up for the mailing list for Transition Town the email was “prelim@patransitions.net”.  There was a reason for that “prelim” because we weren’t sure how this would all shake out.

Myron asked at the last meeting if people could sign up themselves for the email list.  I said “not yet” (I think ).  But now, you can.

I’ve created a public Google Group for Transition Towns Port Alberni that will allow new people to sign up themselves and invite others too.  So you don’t have to find Dan if you have found a new person that would like to be part of the list.  It will also give public access to all of the emails that are on the list so that people can see the discussions going on and join in, through email, or the web, if they like.

The webpage for the Transition Town Port Alberni Group is: http://groups.google.ca/group/patransitions

Go there and sign up if you haven’t already.  I’ll put a Permanent Link to it on this website shortly.

So this all means, the current list will soon go away.  All new folks should sign up on the Google hosted list.

Once Dan and I are sure that all of the original list members are signed up for the Google list then we’ll shut the old list down and continue on our merry way.

Onward and Upward!